This fall, you can take advantage of an opportunity to apply what you learn in the classroom to real life current events. Bio 4492: Infectious Diseases: History, Pathology, and Prevention, an upper level, writing intensive class, will be modified in fall 2020 to focus on pandemic disease in general and SARS-CoV-2 in particular.
This fall, you can take advantage of an opportunity to apply what you learn in the classroom to real life current events. Bio 4492: Infectious Diseases: History, Pathology, and Prevention, an upper level, writing intensive class, will be modified in fall 2020 to focus on pandemic disease in general and SARS-CoV-2 in particular. Readings, in-class discussions, and writing assignments will address pandemic disease and responses from a historical perspective, corona virus biology and pathology, COVID19 treatment, and research and development of a SARS-CoV2 vaccine. This course is taught by Petra Levin, Professor of Biology.
As a capstone project, students will choose a topic related to COVID19, as the basis for a 3000-word review article aimed a popular audience and an oral presentation. Topics suggestions include (but are in no way limited to!): development and production of an accurate SARS-CoV2 test, viral transmission, vaccine development, possible treatment protocols, the role of the immune system in COVID19 mortality, the effectiveness and practicality of social distancing, and aspects of the far-reaching effects of the disease on society as a whole.
Educational objectives as outlined in the course description will remain the same. As always, BIO 500 remains a prerequisite and enrollment preference will be given to students who have completed BIO 349: Foundations of Microbiology. See official course description below for details.
Course description: Leveraging the primary research literature, this course examines the history and pathology of infectious disease, the development of antibiotics and vaccines, the rise of antibiotic resistance, and the emergence and reemergence of diseases including Zika virus, Malaria, and Tuberculosis. In addition to gaining insights into the underlying causes and treatment of infectious disease, in this writing intensive course, students will hone their ability to identify important biological questions, develop testable hypotheses, design experiments tailored to particular questions, and evaluate results. Through a series of written and oral assignments, students develop the skills to communicate about science effectively to both the research community and the general public. Students will be enrolled directly from the waitlist after the registrar confirms their prerequisites and BIO 349 status. Small Class, Area A, 3.0 units.
